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Aviation Infrastructure

Fronza & Francis Builds Multi-Layer Aviation CRM with 35% Faster Deal Cycles

Fronza & Francis

Timeline: Strategic transformation across 12 phases
Fronza & Francis

Executive Summary

Fronza & Francis, an aviation infrastructure operations firm managing billion-dollar airport development projects, partnered with HubsPlanet for a comprehensive CRM transformation. Despite having HubSpot Sales Pro, the platform sat underutilized -- unable to handle their complex contract hierarchies, multi-site operations, and extended sales cycles spanning 12-24 months. HubsPlanet architected a custom four-level CRM structure that finally unlocked the platform's potential, resulting in 35% faster deal cycles, 60% faster reporting, and 100% organization-wide adoption.

Key Results

125

Custom workflows built

35%

Faster deal cycle completion

100%

Organization-wide CRM adoption

Real-Time

Revenue visibility at contract & corporate levels

Enterprise

HubSpot transformation to enterprise scale

5+

System integrations (M365, QuickBooks, RM)

The Challenge

Operating within the aviation infrastructure ecosystem, Fronza & Francis manages large-scale airport and aviation development projects worth billions of dollars, with individual contracts running into the millions. Their sales cycles naturally span 12-24 months due to the complexity of aviation procurement, regulatory requirements, and multi-stakeholder negotiations. They had HubSpot Sales Pro in place, but the out-of-the-box configuration couldn't accommodate their layered contract structures, site-specific engagements, and diverse partnership models. The CRM sat largely unused while the team defaulted to spreadsheets, email threads, and fragmented document storage -- making it nearly impossible to get a unified view of their extended pipeline.

Key Challenges:

Existing HubSpot Sales Pro license underutilized -- team defaulted to spreadsheets due to poor fit
Billion-dollar aviation projects with 12-24 month sales cycles impossible to track in standard pipeline stages
Complex contract hierarchies (direct client, prime contractor, sub-partner) couldn't be modeled in flat CRM structure
Multi-site aviation projects across different airports managed in disconnected spreadsheets
15+ hours per week spent on manual data entry, contract tracking, and status reporting
Zero real-time visibility into extended pipeline health or revenue forecasting across long deal cycles
Fragmented stakeholder data across email, documents, and personal notes -- no single source of truth
Inability to associate operational requirements with the correct contract, site, and corporate entity

Our Solution

Over a year-long engagement, HubsPlanet transformed their underutilized HubSpot Sales Pro into an enterprise-grade four-level CRM architecture purpose-built for aviation infrastructure operations. The transformation included upgrading to HubSpot Enterprise, building real-time revenue calculation engines at both project contract and corporate revenue levels, and integrating with QuickBooks for financial sync and resource management platforms for operational alignment. Rather than forcing standard sales workflows onto billion-dollar project cycles, the system was re-engineered around their actual engagement models -- supporting 12-24 month deal cycles with Custom Objects, automated lifecycle management, and real-time dashboards that finally gave leadership visibility into their extended pipeline.

Sales Pro to Enterprise Transformation

Upgraded from underutilized Sales Pro to a fully architected Enterprise-grade CRM ecosystem

Comprehensive audit of existing Sales Pro configuration identifying critical gaps for billion-dollar project tracking
Strategic upgrade to HubSpot Sales Hub Enterprise unlocking Custom Objects, advanced workflows, and enterprise reporting
Re-architecture of the entire CRM foundation to support aviation infrastructure operational models
Enterprise-grade security and permission structures for multi-stakeholder access across project sites

Four-Level CRM Architecture

Built a hierarchical CRM structure mirroring how aviation infrastructure engagements actually operate

Level 1: Corporate Entity records tracking organization-wide partnerships and strategic relationship health
Level 2: Project Site entities for independent tracking of each airport/aviation location with site-level reporting
Level 3: Custom Contract Object supporting direct client, prime contractor, and sub-partner agreement types
Level 4: Operational Requirement tracking via HubSpot Deals tied to contracts, sites, and corporate entities

Real-Time Revenue Calculation Engine

Built dual-layer revenue tracking providing instant visibility at both project contract and corporate revenue levels

Project contract level: Real-time revenue calculations per contract with milestone-based recognition tracking
Corporate revenue level: Aggregated revenue dashboards rolling up from contracts to sites to corporate entities
Weighted pipeline forecasting based on contract stage probability and historical win rates
Multi-currency support for international aviation infrastructure engagements

Custom Contract Pipeline (12-Stage)

Designed a comprehensive 12-stage contract lifecycle pipeline tailored for aviation project engagements

Full lifecycle tracking: Lead > Initial Engagement > Needs Assessment > Evaluation > Qualified Opportunity
Mid-stage management: Solution Design > Proposal Development > Client Evaluation > Contract Negotiation
Closing stages: Project Preparation > Closed Won / Closed Lost with automated outcome workflows
Stage-specific automation triggers for task creation, notifications, and data association

QuickBooks & Resource Management Integration

Connected HubSpot to financial and operational systems for seamless data flow across the organization

QuickBooks integration: Automated invoice sync, payment tracking, and revenue recognition alignment
Resource management platform sync: Real-time visibility into project staffing and capacity planning
Bi-directional data flow ensuring CRM, finance, and operations always have consistent information
Automated reconciliation workflows flagging discrepancies between systems for review

125 Custom Workflow Automation Framework

Built 125 automated workflows creating a fully autonomous operational ecosystem

Lifecycle automation: company stages update automatically based on contract engagement progress
Auto-association: contracts and operational records inherit relationships with organizations and project sites
Task automation: stage-based task creation for project managers at each pipeline milestone
Alert system: automated notifications to leadership for high-value contract stage changes
Cross-system triggers: workflows connecting HubSpot actions to Microsoft 365, QuickBooks, and resource platforms

Microsoft 365 Integration Suite

Deep integration with Microsoft 365 ecosystem for seamless team collaboration and communication

Outlook integration: Email tracking, meeting scheduling, and contact sync directly within HubSpot
Microsoft Teams: Automated notifications, deal alerts, and collaboration triggers in team channels
SharePoint & OneDrive: Document association and contract file management linked to CRM records
Calendar sync: Bi-directional calendar integration for project milestones and stakeholder meetings

Before & After

Before

contract Tracking: Manual tracking across spreadsheets and email threads
site Management: Fragmented data across teams with no project hierarchy
operational Visibility: Limited -- leadership relied on weekly verbal updates
reporting Speed: Manual reports taking 10-15 hours per week to compile
crm Adoption: HubSpot Sales Pro underutilized -- team defaulted to spreadsheets
pipeline Visibility: Zero real-time view of contract stages or deal health

After

contract Tracking: Centralized 12-stage pipeline with automated lifecycle management
site Management: Structured four-level hierarchy: Corporate > Site > Contract > Operations
operational Visibility: Full lifecycle tracking with real-time dashboards and alerts
reporting Speed: Instant real-time dashboards -- reporting automated end-to-end
crm Adoption: 100% organization-wide adoption within 30 days of launch
pipeline Visibility: Complete visibility with weighted revenue forecasting by stage

Implementation Timeline

1

Discovery & Process Audit

Months 1-2
  • Comprehensive audit of existing HubSpot Sales Pro configuration and usage gaps
  • Stakeholder interviews with leadership, project managers, and operations team
  • Mapping all contract types: direct client, prime contractor, and sub-partner models
  • Documenting billion-dollar project workflows and 12-24 month sales cycle requirements
2

Architecture Design & Custom Objects

Months 3-5
  • Designing four-level CRM architecture and Custom Object schema for aviation operations
  • Creating Custom Contract Object with relationship mapping to companies and sites
  • Building 12-stage contract lifecycle pipeline supporting extended deal cycles
  • Configuring project site entity structure with corporate entity associations
3

Automation, Integrations & Dashboard Development

Months 6-9
  • Building 125 automated workflows for lifecycle management, data association, and cross-system triggers
  • Implementing Microsoft 365 integration suite (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint)
  • Creating real-time dashboards for extended pipeline visibility and revenue forecasting
  • Connecting QuickBooks and resource management platforms with bi-directional sync
4

Migration, Training & Optimization

Months 10-12
  • Migrating historical contract and engagement data into new CRM structure
  • Conducting hands-on training sessions driving 100% adoption
  • Phased rollout across project teams with continuous refinement
  • Ongoing optimization and support for long-term operational success

Technologies & Tools

HubSpot Sales Hub EnterpriseCRM Platform
HubSpot Custom ObjectsData Architecture
HubSpot Workflows (125)Automation Engine
HubSpot ReportingAnalytics & Dashboards
Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams)Collaboration Suite
QuickBooks OnlineFinancial Integration
Resource Management PlatformOperations Integration
HubSpot Operations HubData Sync & Quality
"We had HubSpot for years but it just sat there -- it couldn't handle our billion-dollar projects with 18-month sales cycles. HubsPlanet spent a full year understanding our aviation operations and built 125 workflows that actually work for us. For the first time, leadership can see every contract, every site, and every multi-million dollar requirement in one place. The custom architecture mirrors exactly how our engagements work."
M
Maria Rios
Vice President, Fronza & Francis

Key Takeaways

HubSpot Sales Pro often goes underutilized in complex industries -- strategic Enterprise upgrades unlock true potential

Industries with 12-24 month sales cycles and billion-dollar projects need purpose-built pipeline stages, not standard templates

Real-time revenue calculations at both project contract and corporate levels transform financial visibility

QuickBooks and resource management platform integrations create a unified operational ecosystem

Billion-dollar project tracking requires custom hierarchical architecture -- flat CRM structures fail

Deep implementation work combining automation, integration, and strategy drives maximum adoption and value

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